Mike Caldwell and Juan Marichal Returns

Today was a better day at the mailbox than yesterday.

Mike Caldwell signed his 1973, 1976, 1978 and 1979 Topps in about three months.

And Juan Marichal signed his 1970 Topps All Star card for his $10 fee.

I really like the 1970 Topps All Star design.  I'm not a huge fan of the set in general, but these are cool.  They look a lot like the All Star cards from the 1961 Topps set, but are more affordable.  They can still be kind of expensive though.  I'd like to have Brooks Robinson sign his, but I need to find an affordable one first.

Despite Four Returns, A Disappointing Day

My Informed Delivery email showed one return today, so I was happy to see four returns in the mailbox.  At least until I started opening them.

First, the sase from my request to Steve Garvey was unsealed, with my two unsigned cards inside and $10 bill missing.  I'm guessing this one was some type of problem with the mail and maybe my original letter got torn in the sorting machines or something.  Where's my ten bucks though!?!

Next, I opened an sase from Will Clark, who was generously signing for free in the past, but now includes a letter requesting a donation to a charity in the amount of $20 per card.  I received my card back unsigned.

The next return was slightly better.  I had sent two cards and $20 to Jim Rice, who had been signing for $10 per card.  He signed my 1985 Topps nicely, but returned the 1976 Topps unsigned.  On the back of my sase, he (or someone) wrote, "$20 Per Card".  I guess he's raised his prices.  $20 still isn't bad for a Hall of Famer, but it's not the bargain that $10 was.

Finally, Gary Wheelock signed his 1978 Topps for me, helping me reach the halfway point of my goal of getting 50 more cards signed from this set this year.  

So I ended on a strong note, but after sending out 6 cards and $30, it's disappointing to only have two cards back signed.  Oh well, that's how it goes in this hobby sometimes.

Matt Alexander Return

One more return today: Matt Alexander signed his 1976 and 1978 Topps for me in about 12 days/

I'm still less than halfway to my goal for my 1978 set, so I need to get working on it.

Circle Me Bert Signed Bobblehead

I really miss watching Bert Blyleven broadcast the Twins games.  As I mentioned a few posts ago, he started selling some items on Ebay and I previously bought a signed plaque from him.

Today another purchase arrived: a signed Circle Me Bert bobblehead.  Not only does his head bobble, but so does his arm that does the circling.

This was sold with the proceeds going to a charity, and a handwritten note thanked me for supporting them.

Cepeda and Murray - Private Signing Returns

I sent in a couple different items for some Tom Orr (Atommic Sports) private signings earlier this month and got them back today.

First, Orlando Cepeda signed a picture of his time playing with the Millers.  Living, in Minnesota, I have an interest in the Millers but haven't really focused on collecting too many Millers items.  I have a Gene Mauch-signed lineup card, an old souvenir cardboard visor and a couple wax cups from the stadium, but when I saw this picture online, I thought it would nice to get signed.

Next, I finally got around to getting Eddie Murray sign a card for me.  I have a ball signed by him, but no cards.  I have hesitated to spend the money as he's a bit more expensive than a lot of the older HOFer's, but decided it was time to add his autograph to my 1978 set.

I've been spending too much on the hobby lately and need to get back to just sending out some cards from the sets I already have.  I still have a ways to go to reach my goals for my 1965 and 1978 sets, and I need to send out a few baseballs as well.

Dave Roberts Return

My returns are trickling in, with one more arriving today.

Dave Roberts signed his 1973, 1976, 1979 and 1980 Topps.  He also enclosed a signed religious pamphlet.

There are several Dave Roberts that played in the majors.  This Dave Roberts, the 3rd baseman and catcher, played from about 1972 - 1982.  Another Dave Roberts, a pitcher, played from 1969 to 1981 and is now deceased.  While getting some cards ready to send to Mr. Roberts, I discovered this and even had a card ready to send out that was for the now-deceased player.

I asked Mr. Roberts in my letter how often he gets cards for the wrong Dave Roberts, and he replied about 1 in 20 letters has the wrong card.

Ron Pruitt TTM Return

It's been pretty slow lately so I was happy to see a return in the mailbox today.

Ron Pruitt signed his 1977, 1978, 1979 and 1980 Topps for me in a little over two months.

I am potentially starting a new project.  I came across the 1977 Pepsi discs that were inserted into Pepsi cartons (of bottles!) with a circular baseball card with a player picture and and a little biographical information.  But no stats.  The discs are perforated within a baseball glove and tab that allow you to order a t-shirt with a player's picture, and your name on it, oddly.

Anyway, they look kind of cool.  I ordered about 20 of them of potential signers.  I sent one out today to Al Hrabosky as a test.

The problem is their size.  They are a little over 9 inches tall, and about 5 inches wide.  So, they don't fit in the standard envelopes I typically use to send cards.

I bought two sizes of manila envelopes: 6x9 and 10x13.  The 6x9 isn't quite tall enough, so I folded the flap a little higher up so the card will fit in it.  I also removed the two metal clasps so the player doesn't try to fold it lower again to make the clasps fit.  I am worried that when they seal the envelope, the glue may be exposed and actually stick to the card.

I used one stamp on the 6x9 SASE, and two stamps, plus another old 6-cent stamp on the outgoing 10x13 as the postage I calculated on the USPS site was $1.15.  The 10x13 really seems like overkill going out as it's pretty large.  I saw there are some 9.5" x 6.5" envelopes on Amazon.  I may give those a shot if this first tests goes okay.

I'm concerned the post office may try to charge me for a package instead of an envelope or large envelope.  If they do, then I probably won't be sending these out because the postage would be over $6 total, which is just too much.

Any other ideas on how to mail these out inexpensively?

Bert Blyleven Purchase

I saw a post on Sportscollectors.net (SCN) that Bert Blyleven was selling some of his personal collection on Ebay.  He has some very cool stuff listed, including game used hats and jerseys, signed photos and balls, and a bunch of miscellaneous other stuff.

I saw this plaque listed and thought it was pretty cool, so I bought it.  It was $30 shipped.  Not too bad, I thought.  I like that it has him pictured as a Twin only.  It's about 10 inches by 11 inches and it made of thin wood like particle board.

I'll keep my eye on his listings to see if anything else comes up that I can afford.  His Ebay ID is blylevenhof11 if you want to check it out.  He is donating some of the proceeds to various charities.

Mike Anderson TTM and Joe Pepitone Private Signing

Although I only got two returns, I got a lot of cards back today!

Mike Anderson signed his 1972 Topps, which was already signed by Pete Koegel.  Wayne Twitchell has passed away, so this card is retired now.  He also signed his 1973, 1976 and 1978 Topps.

I also got a return from a Joe Pepitone private signing.  I had sent five cards, including a 1963 Topps, a 1971 Topps, two 1972 Topps and a 2000 Fleer Greats of the Game.  The 71 Topps got a little smeared, so the promoter included an extra 2000 gotg and a 2000 Upper Deck.

Tom Carroll and Tom Poquette

I received two returns yesterday:

Tom Carroll signed his 1955 Topps for his $5 fee.  I've had this card for a very long time and I'm not sure why I haven't sent it out before now.  There aren't too many players left to sign their cards from this year.

I also received a return from Tom Poquette, who signed his 1977, 1978, 1979 and 1980 Topps.

I haven't sent out many requests lately, so things might slow done a bit.  I have several private signings this month and next that I will receive back though.

Danny Breeden and Ervin Santana

Today I received one very quick ttm return, as well as a return form a private signing many months in the works.

Danny Breeden signed his 1969 and 1970 Topps in just 11 days.  The 1970 Topps was previously signed by Bernie Carbo.

Last fall, I sent in a few cards to a private signing with Ervin Santana.  I never got a chance to see him at TwinsFest while he was with the Twins so I had a few cards I wanted to get done.  Even though the price was very reasonable, I limited myself to just three cards.  The signing, which took place in the D.R., got postponed due to Covid and other reasons, and I just got the cards back now.  I chose to have him sign his 2015 Topps Heritage, 2016 Allen & Ginter, and 2019 Topps Heritage cards.

Part of the delay was my own fault.  I had used PirateShip to send the cards as well as to provide a return shipping label.  Since the signing was postponed, my return label expired, and I had to work with the promoter to send him another shipping label to get them back to me.  He was very patient with my situation.  I won't do that again though.  Now I use stamps only for return shipping, but use PirateShip to get the items to the promoter.

Clint Hurdle - Sports Illustrated

I received my third signed magazine of the year today.  My goal is five, but I may send even more.  The postage is a bit spendy.  It's $4.38 to ship it out (with PirateShip discounted labels) and about $6 in stamps for the return shipping and tracking.

Clint Hurdle signed a 1978 Sports Illustrated for $10.  He collects money for a charity, with a $5 minimum requested.  I assumed $5 would be for cards, and magazines and balls would be $10 or so.  I would also add $5 for each inscription if you want them, although his request isn't very specific.

I should probably send him his 1978 Topps rookie card at some point as well.

Five Returns!

It's bee a while since I've had five returns in a single day.  According to me Informed Delivery, three of these were supposed to be delivered yesterday.

First, Jerry Grote signed a 1971 Sports Illustrated for his $10 fee.

John Hiller signed his 1971 Topps for his $5 fee.

Garth Iorg signed his 1978, 1985, 1987 and 1988 Topps.  I'll try getting Whitaker next, but I think it will cost me $25.

Darold Knowles signed his 1964, 1965, 1976 and 1979 Topps.

And Bill Mazeroski signed his 1971 Topps for $10.  I was surprised to see Mazeroski signing through the mail again.  He signed a 1958 Topps for me back in 2004 and I've gotten several cards signed at private signings since then.